Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jilin and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jilin and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Jilin versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Jilin $737
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,185 in Jilin versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Jilin $1,185
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,633 in Jilin versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Jilin $1,633
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Jilin costs roughly 73% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jilin is 46% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.79

$20.63 $20.63

-85.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 ¥152

$84.6 $84.6

-73.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.51

$12.07 $12.07

-56.01%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥23.12

$5.48 $5.48

-36.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ¥2.98

$3.80 $3.80

-88.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$2.47 $2.47

-89.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.69

$8.05 $8.05

-85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.12

$8.88 $8.88

-74.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.11 $1.11

57.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$3.72 $3.72

-56.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$3.37 $3.37

-72.40%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.21

$4.32 $4.32

-61.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ¥87.4

$13.13 $13.13

-0.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ¥22.75

$14.15 $14.15

-75.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.6

$16.33 $16.33

-31.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$4.55 $4.55

-60.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.46 $1.46

-12.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$4.71 $4.71

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$4.15 $4.15

-69.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$2.58 $2.58

-72.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.44

$2.35 $2.35

-59.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$1.77 $1.77

-64.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$2.14 $2.14

-74.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.49

$10.10 $10.10

-62.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$15.19 $15.19

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$2.82 $2.82

-68.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$3.44 $3.44

-52.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.54 $1.54

-81.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$40.99 $40.99

-55.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$2.80 $2.80

-61.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ¥1.59

$1.60 $1.60

-85.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.35

$34.34 $34.34

-79.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$0.94 $0.94

32.98%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.7K ¥131.7K

$34.0K $34.0K

-42.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

-35.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$56.7 ¥379

$223 $223

-74.55%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.74 ¥58.4

$58.9 $58.9

-85.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.28 ¥75.4

$70.6 $70.6

-84.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 ¥284

$57.7 $57.7

-26.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.22 ¥102

$16.53 $16.53

-7.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 ¥42.12

$14.26 $14.26

-55.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$415 ¥2,774

$1,511 $1,511

-72.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$20.9K $20.9K

-16.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 ¥289

$51.3 $51.3

-15.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.09 ¥228

$44.17 $44.17

-22.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$87.0 $87.0

-15.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$104 $104

-28.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,989

$1,940 $1,940

-84.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,208

$1,316 $1,316

-86.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 ¥4,248

$3,664 $3,664

-82.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,517

$2,565 $2,565

-85.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,419 ¥22.9K

$7,354 $7,354

-53.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,956 ¥13.1K

$3,129 $3,129

-37.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ¥3,018

$5,286 $5,286

-91.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

6.79

-50.52%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$207 28.2%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 95.7% $199

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$181 24.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 629% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$101 13.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 27.2% $28

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 12.8%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 272% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$77 10.4%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 359% $275

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$55 7.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 56.6% $31

Getting Around

Jilin

$22 2.9%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 167% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Jilin and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1071% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Jilin vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $406 per month, with Jilin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

13 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

974,447

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Jilin Austin, TX 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
Austin, TX

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Jilin vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jilin wins on cost – living expenses run 266% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jilin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1071% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $297 in Jilin versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $737 per month in Jilin versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 266% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jilin runs roughly 124% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $737 in Jilin versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jilin but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Jilin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Jilin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 266% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.